# Baiji (*Lipotes vexillifer*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/baiji  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The baiji (Lipotes vexillifer) is a mammal in the whales and dolphins group, belonging to the order Cetacea, suborder Odontoceti and family Lipotidae. It is a large animal with an adult body mass of 83.5 kg and up to 97.82 kg, and it is a diurnal, marine piscivore. The baiji is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, an IUCN threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 83.5 kg – 97.8 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 23.2 years – 24 years |
| Diet | Piscivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | riverine |
| Gestation | 320 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 |
| Age at maturity | 8.61 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 0.635 |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| Lifestyle | Marine |
| Conservation status | Critically Endangered (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Cetacea
- family: Lipotidae
- genus: Lipotes
- species: *Lipotes vexillifer* Miller, 1918

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the baiji?

The baiji is a mammal in the whales and dolphins group. It belongs to the order Cetacea, suborder Odontoceti and family Lipotidae.

### Is the baiji endangered?

Yes. The baiji is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, which is an IUCN threatened category.

### How heavy is the baiji?

The baiji has an adult body mass of 83.5 kg, with values up to 97.82 kg reported.

### What does the baiji eat?

The baiji is a piscivore, placing it at the carnivore trophic level.

### How long does the baiji live?

The baiji has a lifespan of 23.23 years, with values up to 24 years reported.

### How many young does the baiji have?

The baiji has 1 young per litter, at a rate of 0.635 litters per year, after a gestation period of 319.5 days.

### Who named the baiji and when?

The baiji, Lipotes vexillifer, was named by Miller in 1918.

### What are other names for the baiji?

Other English names for the baiji are Pei Chi, Whitefin dolphin, White flag dolphin, White-flag dolphin and Changjiang dolphin.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Baiji (Lipotes vexillifer). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/baiji